Autumn wine

Food and wine are bound by the same mutual respect. When we speak of matching them we look for correlations that are climatic, seasonal, cultural, even spiritual. Although terroir is an idea, and as such not solely the province of the French, it is generally true that regional wines from France are philosophically in tune with the style of earthy native cooking that may be termed British.

Autumn is the time of harvests and festivals, of grapes maturing on the vines through misty mornings and long golden afternoons, and of wild westerly winds, mulching leaves and odours of humus. The massively aromatic grape varieties from Alsace are now being harvested, to yield extraordinary rich, creamy wines, gravid with orchard fruit and exotic spice flavours, wines that are meant to be drunk with food. Tokay Pinot Gris is fabulous with lightly curried dishes and those dressed with cream or butter; the Rieslings from Alsace and Germany might have been invented for the local choucroute (sauerkraut). Condrieu from the Rhone certainly has the weight to go with meaty white fish such as monkfish and the necessary candied sweetness to accompany offal like sweetbreads. Also good with foie gras or terrine would be a late-harvested Gewürztraminer or sweet Jurançon. Sweet whites with body and clean acidity can work with a range of different foods, from scallops to pork to cheese.